Developing Transnational Project Indicators

The purpose of indicators

> Indicators are useful tools that allow programme and project managers to monitor:

- Progress- Efficiency

- Effectiveness

The purpose of indicators 2

• The CADSES programme will use your indicators to measure your achievements.

• The indicators you choose must give an accurate picture of what you are doing.

The purpose of indicators 3

> You can also use indicators within the partnership.Use targets to define delivery responsibilities and quality requirements.

For example:”Partner 3 is responsible for: Development of 3 new

technologies to reduce mercury levels in Lake X by 50% by 2007.”

…This transparency makes project work much easier.

Basic Terminology

• Activities – The work done in your project• Input – The resources you use to carry out

the activities• Outputs – What your project

produces/delivers• Results – The immediate benefits• Impacts – The long-term benefits

For example...

• Activity: Writing a report• Input: 300 staff hours, €10.000• Output: Report on spatial development in

CADSES area• Result: Increased awareness of spatial

development issues in CADSES area• Impact: Improved policies based on this new

knowledge

Role of Transnational indicators Output – Result – Impact

Documents

(analytical, strategic)

Meetings

(seminars, workshops, conferences)

Output

Networking(administration, research, private sector, countries)

Learning(spatial development,

foreign systems)

Result

European integration

Spatial development perspectives

Impact

European Policies

Interreg

CADSES

Projects

Others

……

The limitations of indicators 1

> Indicators cannot give a full picture of

your project – they can only provide a

snapshot of the status of some of the

work being done.

> Therefore, the first decision is to decide

WHAT to measure: what are the interesting and

important parts of the project?

The limitations of indicators 2

• It is often impossible to measure the long-term benefit (the impact) of a project within the lifetime of that project.

• Projects must still provide indicators of what the expected impacts are and how it would be possible to measure them in future.

• Sometimes it may only be possible to state that the project will make a contribution to achieving change. This happens when it is impossible to differentiate the impact of the project from the impact of other activities.

The need for logical connection between indicators

GOOD (Clear connections)Output: New filters at water treatment plant ->Result: Nitrate levels in water fall by 50% ->Impact: Fish stocks in river increase by 25% BAD (No logical connection)Output: Analysis of transport systemsResult: Networking between transport workersImpact: Less pollution from trucks

Indicators must also be S.M.A.R.T

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Relevant

T – Timed

Specific

• GOOD

- Tourism SMEs in target area have 25% increase in turnover

• BAD

- Business performance is better

MeasurableGOOD:- Increase in number areas with access to

broadband internet services. (km2)

AchievableGOOD:- 25% crime reduction in pilot project areaBAD:- No crime in pilot project area

Relevant

... to the project’s and programme’s objectives

Timed ... stating when something should happen.

For example,“Increase in number of visitors to region by end

of project / by end 2010 / in 2006, etc”.

Other indicator essentials

Indicators are quantitative.

1. They need a UNIT so we know what is being measured.

2. A BASELINE so we know the figure at the start of the project.

3. A TARGET so we know the figure that the project hopes to achieve.

For example

Increase in amount of freight (tonnes) carried by boat on River X by end of 2007.

(Current amount = 1.7 million. Estimate by end 2007 = 2 million)

UNIT

BASELINE

TARGET

Qualitative indicators

• Although indicators should be quantitative, a qualitative statement will sometimes say more about the project.

• If you use this kind of indicator you still need to find some way of measuring the qualitative change.

Qualitative indicators 2

• For example:

”Improvement in quality of life (% of residents measured by survey in May 2008)”

Like every other project, this one willalso have to budget for data collection tomeasure performance on this indicator.

Conclusions: Good indicators must be…

• Directly related to the project’s most important objectives.

• Logically structured• SMART (Specific, Measurable,

Achievable, Relevant and Timed)• Provided with a unit, baseline and target• Necessary data collection should be

included in project budgets